Vol 1 Ch 19

After forming a party with him and sitting down to chat, two passing Psychics approached and invited us to party with them. Since our levels weren’t visible even when in a party, we asked their levels, and they were 48 and 51, similar to Kim Taepung’s.

 

The four of us formed a party and discussed where to go. Kim Taepung suggested going to <Malak Island> and hunting along the coast. He reasoned that it was an open area with few hidden users, and most people there were already in parties, so they wouldn’t easily attack us.

 

“But, it’s on the way to <Tower of Corruption>, a high-level hunting ground. Is that okay?”

 

“We should stick together as much as possible. Just in case, don’t wear any expensive items. Also, it sometimes thunders there, so bring weapons other than iron ones.”

 

Following Kim Taepung’s advice, I refitted my weapons and armor from the storage. I had also lost my staff, so I bought a replacement from a nearby weapon shop that matched my level. Once preparations were complete, the party leader, Kim Taepung, initiated a warp, and we followed him.

 

<<Moving to ‘Malak Island’.>>

 

Malak Island is an island where the climate changes frequently, but the weather was clear when we arrived. A foreign beach I had seen on a computer wallpaper unfolded before my eyes.

 

The party members, except for me, seemed accustomed to the scenery and walked towards the coast without much reaction. With every step, our feet sank deep into the sand. The system displayed a 10 percent movement speed reduction.

 

The monsters we were to hunt were about the size of the lower half of a human body. But they were so quick-witted that they would burrow into the sand as soon as we approached.

 

“I’ll block the holes.”

 

The three of them had different elemental affinities. Son of the Wind Kim Taepung, despite his name suggesting wind, was a summoner. He primarily summoned creatures that wielded poison, such as poisonous spiders, poisonous frogs, and poisonous snakes. They were all disgusting, but it seemed like a convenient ability to just summon them and cast skills alongside them.

 

Another party member seemed to have earth elemental abilities, as they could freely block the holes the crabs were trying to enter. They could also cause earthquakes and blow sand to immobilize nearby enemies.

 

The remaining party member was also a summoner, but their summoned creatures were quite cute. They summoned wolves and bears, explaining that it was because their levels were still low, but they still looked like cubs. These creatures would chase after the poisonous spiders and attack the crabs together.

 

“Cute.”

 

The animal summoner, [Cold-Blooded Swordsman], mentioned that when they first created their character as a summoner, they considered remaking it but decided against it.

 

“Right? They were even cuter at level 1. Just this small, so adorable. That’s why I decided to stick with being a summoner. But when I see high-level summoners, they summon things like dinosaurs. Some people find that cool, but I like them this size. So, I intentionally don’t level up much.”

 

From observing Son of the Wind Kim Taepung and Cold-Blooded Swordsman, I realized that if I were to become a Psychic later, I shouldn’t carelessly choose a name. I wouldn’t know what elemental affinity I’d get until I logged in.

 

If I were to become a Psychic later, I wanted to be a summoner. There would be no need to put myself in danger, and although hunting might be slow, it would be more relaxed. Even if disgusting insect monsters appeared, I could step back and deal with them. However, I didn’t want to be a summoner like Kim Taepung.

 

The ‘crab’ monsters hunted here dropped various spoils upon death. Their legs could be consumed like potions to restore HP. Rarely, a <Chitosan Extract> would drop, which lowered PG or GG. Although the effect was minimal, it was popular, and selling them in bundles of 100 in personal shops could fetch a good amount of money.

 

Malak Island seemed to be a low-level zone, well-designed for players to level up through self-sufficiency. Still, when a crab’s claw split a summoned creature in half, we couldn’t get close.

 

Occasionally, I cast shields on party members and used Relax. To keep up with the fast-moving crabs, I cast Rapid on the summoned mobs, which consumed a lot of MP.

 

After hunting for over an hour without a break, all our status bars were depleted, making it difficult to replenish HP even with potions.

 

“Ah, just a moment. My wife is calling.”

 

When the earth-elemental Psychic briefly logged off, there was no one to block the crab holes, so we naturally decided to take a break. I also wanted to use the restroom, so I informed them I’d be back in 10 minutes and logged out.

 

Despite hunting for an hour straight, I only gained one level. It was a stark contrast to when levels shot up after defeating a boss, but I supposed that was part of the game’s charm. We also shared the spoils, considering our limited resources. If there were leftovers, we’d yield to each other, which felt heartwarming.

 

After a quick drink of water, I put on my helmet and logged back in.

 

<<Welcome to Blood Planet.>>

 

<<Moving to your last login location.>>

 

When I logged back in, Kim Taepung and Cold-Blooded Swordsman were already waiting. We sat under a large palm tree.

 

Kim Taepung lit a campfire underneath it and added herbs that boosted vitality into the flames, filling the surroundings with a warm fragrance. Instantly, energy surged, and HP and MP rapidly recovered. I also cast Relax along with them.

 

We naturally sat by the fire and started chatting. Listening to everyone, it seemed we were all around the same age. Watching the crabs die, Kim Taepung asked if anyone had tried steamed crab at Sokcho’s Dongmyeong Port. Everyone but me had, and they mentioned how it made them think of a drink of soju, engaging in conversation like typical middle-aged men.

 

“GentleTouch. I’ve seen that name somewhere before… Are you, by any chance, him?”

 

Suddenly, Cold-Blooded Swordsman looked at me and asked a meaningful question. Kim Taepung looked back and forth between us and exclaimed, “Ah!” realizing. I knew what they were hinting at, so I just scratched the back of my head and smiled.

 

“Why did you break up with your partner? If it was ShutUp, you really hit the jackpot.”

 

“Well, our personalities just didn’t match.”

 

“Hmm. I suppose, I’ve heard he’s a bit of a scoundrel. He kills for fun and breaks items too. I thought you were the same kind of person to be his partner… GentleTouch is truly gentle. But aren’t you looking for a new partner?”

 

“No. Not for a while.”

 

Kim Taepung seemed a little disappointed, perhaps having intended to propose a partnership if I were looking, but he nodded in understanding.

 

We then friended each other, agreeing to hunt together if needed. As we were adding each other as friends, the Psychic who had left returned.

 

“My child kept crying… I have to go. Sorry.”

 

“It can’t be helped.”

 

Honestly, hunting here would have been difficult without him. Still, being polite, he returned to wait for us and dropped the items he had picked up before logging off. The remaining members tried to hunt crabs, but even with Rapid cast on the summoned mobs, we couldn’t catch the crabs escaping into their holes.

 

“What should we do?”

 

After a few attempts, we gathered again near the campfire. I petted the wolf sitting next to me. Since it only had basic movements, it just stared ahead even when I touched its paws or tail. Still, the texture of its fur felt like petting a dog, which made me feel good.

 

“For now, shall we head deeper into the forest? Let’s hunt some man-eating flowers.”

 

As Cold-Blooded Swordsman said this and stood up, the wolf that had been sitting quietly beside me suddenly stood up and stood next to him. It was an enviable sight. Then, Kim Taepung stood up, and poisonous snakes hidden underground swarmed around him. I disliked that.

 

We decided on our destination and cautiously moved forward. We had to be more careful deeper in the forest. There were various monsters everywhere, and visibility was very limited. Fortunately, the summoned creatures automatically detected monsters, so we just had to follow them.

 

Unlike the coast, the man-eating flowers spewed poisonous gas, so I created a [Safety Zone] on the ground for those hunting them. The hunting speed was slower than before, and after killing about five, my MP was depleted.

 

“I need to recharge my MP.”

 

We casually sat down again and replenished our HP and MP.

 

“We’re not making good progress like this. And the spoils aren’t great either.”

 

Actually, it was better to have ranged Psychics when hunting poisonous monsters. The two summoners had to resummon their mobs repeatedly as they died, consuming a lot of MP. Moreover, due to the poison, HP was continuously lost. In many ways, this was not a hunting ground that suited us.

 

“I think it would be better to go back to Velvet Town and resupply.”

 

“Right? Shall we head back then?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

As we decided this and were about to get up.

 

BOOM—!

 

Suddenly, lightning struck a nearby tree, splitting it in half. Being surprised by the blinding light in the dim forest was one thing, but seeing such a large tree instantly split in two right before my eyes filled me with a primal fear of natural disasters.

 

“Was that lightning?”

 

“The trees block the sky, so it’s hard to tell. Malak Island’s weather changes so often.”

 

As we discussed meeting at the party bulletin board and whether we had return scrolls, lightning struck another tree directly behind us.

 

The roar from behind made me flinch, and goosebumps rose all over my body. Although I had the environmental sounds set low, the sound of lightning was startling.

 

“Let’s go quickly.”

 

As we raised our arms to use the return scrolls in our inventory.

 

“Freeze.”

 

A deep, cavernous voice I’d heard many times before spoke from behind my head. Kim Taepung, hearing the voice, looked behind me and froze. Cold-Blooded Swordsman remained frozen with his arm raised.

 

Kim Taepung’s eyes darted between my back and my face. I, too, remained frozen with my hand raised. I heard heavy footsteps crushing dry twigs as someone approached. Then, a large hand covered the back of my neck as if to grasp it.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

To ShutUp’s gently asked question, I turned my head slightly and looked at him. I now understood the cause of the recent lightning strikes. His eyes flashed with a blue glow, and electricity intermittently coursed around his eyes.

 

“Uh, uh. Hunting…”

 

I thought ShutUp would tighten his grip on my neck, just like he did at the lake, and slam me to the ground. Even though it was a game, I couldn’t completely dismiss the fear of death.

 

Meanwhile, Kim Taepung and Cold-Blooded Swordsman, standing in front of me, were intently watching ShutUp’s actions.

 

“You only need to bother me. Let those people go.”

 

ShutUp whispered into my ear with a smile.

 

“No. I’m going to kill them all.”

 

At his words, the two in front of me glanced at the summoned mobs around them. Naturally, they were no match for ShutUp. The two, who had initially been caught off guard, began to show a glint in their eyes, perhaps thinking they could buy time by observing each other.

 

“He’s a ranker, but he acts like a thug.”

 

“He’s high-level, but he only bothers low-level players.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

They say the desperate become brave. Fortunately, we weren’t wearing any expensive gear, so being wiped out by ShutUp wouldn’t be a total loss. However, the thought of our leveling progress being in vain was bothersome. We had hunted together for an hour straight… Thinking of a way to save them, I made a decision and ran in the direction ShutUp was facing.

 

“I’ll lure him! Go!”

 

My priority now was to distract ShutUp. If he chased me, my party members could use their return scrolls to escape this crisis.

 

As I ran through the trees, I covered my ears at the tremendous roar coming from behind and turned around. Dozens of lightning bolts struck the spot where we had been moments before. It was a scene where lightning poured down from the sky like a waterfall.

 

I stood there, stunned, staring at it.

 

“Ah! What the… that crazy bastard.”

 

When I quickly ran back to where we were, the ground was so deeply cratered that no bodies were visible. The equipment items they had been wearing lay scattered on the ground. They were likely in the respawn waiting window. They could have reconnected, but knowing ShutUp was guarding the area, they wouldn’t.

 

Looking around the scorched earth, I figured it was my turn and stood defiantly before ShutUp.

 

“What are you doing? Not killing me?”

 

ShutUp tilted his head and looked down at me. Though his face was very close, he couldn’t come any closer. It was impossible to link with someone who wasn’t a party member or partner. Such physical contact required a form of agreement.

 

Perhaps if it were another guide, I would have pleaded with him. I would have offered to link with him in exchange for my life. But now, even if it meant losing levels, I didn’t want to beg him.

 

‘Ah… I didn’t think he’d log in today…’

 

I thought he’d be drinking beer with Namgung Bin and passing out, so I couldn’t understand why he was playing the game now.